Need a new PSU.......

[Pita^Norf]

Hi all,


Recently volt moded my Rad 9500np and I think the V's being drawn by this together with my mobo is overwhelming my PSU as the 5v line reported in USDM has dropped from 4.8v to 4.6v, and I also get random BSOD.

I want the best value for money PSU and have been looking at the 550W CWT Quiet Dual Fan Version , so I just wanted to hear what the forum's opinion on CWT PSU's are and also wondered whether any members have this model and how it performs ?

Any feedback would be appreciated.


TIA.

[Staz]

does CTW= Channle Well?

If it does then they are one of the largest OEM producers of PSUs. I believe that Antecs are simply rebadged ChannelWells. But they also make other cheaper PSUs as well.

I personally have no experiance with a CWT branded PSU. Nor have I heard anything good or bad about them. One good indicator is weight. Check the shipping weight against other 550w PSUs.

[Pita^Norf]

Yeah CWT = Channel Well Tech

[SteveI]

I'm currently running a CWT 420w to power my main rig.. running CPU@ 1.9v, 3 or 4 HDDs at any time, plus DVDrom and DVDRW... seems stable. My 12v line drops a bit to 11.55 at times, otherwise stable.

[Uncle Bob]

The most reliable method of measuring your PSU output is with a digital multimeter. The two inside wires on a standard molex connector are the negative lines, btw. See what you get before you go thinking it's the PSU.

[CCW]

Uncle Bob, Happy Birthday. I was viewing XS earlier and noticed your name in the birthday list.

If you want a cheap PSU that packs a lot of punch then you cant go far wrong with Q-Tec.

Craig

[Allan]

Originally posted by CCW
Uncle Bob, Happy Birthday. I was viewing XS earlier and noticed your name in the birthday list.

If you want a cheap PSU that packs a lot of punch then you cant go far wrong with Q-Tec.

Craig

I haven't been lucky with Q-Tec. Out of the 10 computers I've assembled with them, 3 of them went dead within a month!
Thats 30%!

[Rip]

I've recommend a TTGI 420 or 520 psu.

[CCW]

Originally posted by Allan


I haven't been lucky with Q-Tec. Out of the 10 computers I've assembled with them, 3 of them went dead within a month!
Thats 30%!

Thats unlucky What versions were they? The Dual-Fan ones are pretty cool, keeps em running cool!

Craig

[rosscouk]

I have had some problems with q-tec dual fan. I was replacing a generic 300w psu. My system was stable at 210x10.5 at 1.75v.

Anyway i installed the q-tec. and it looked like it was DOA. The next day i tried one more time and it worked. Dunno why, didnt do anything to it.

So on the first boot, i cant go into windows. So i end up increasing the voltage to the cpu. It seems stable at 1.875. But it was still crashing in cm4. Getting annoyed with things now. I took the multiplier down to 10 and everything was fine. So it seemed that one of the psu's wasnt delivering the volts it thought it was.

So new PSU is at fault I thought. So i swapped them over again. It seemed stable and then the same problem.

So in the end i am confused. I cant be arsed to change things back again. But it all started when installing the q-tec. Probably fine after all. But beware the ctx cable is pretty short.

I just think you get what you pay for now.

[Pita^Norf]

Originally posted by Uncle Bob
The most reliable method of measuring your PSU output is with a digital multimeter. The two inside wires on a standard molex connector are the negative lines, btw. See what you get before you go thinking it's the PSU.

UB,

I've tried the mutimeter on unused connectors and the 5v line reads 4.98 - 5.01v, however I remember reading a thread where some knowledgable folk said that readings from an unused connector may not be representitive of whats happening at say the voltage regulator for the CPU. So when I cite my PSU as a possible cause of my problems I'm basing this mostly on what I've seen on USDM where before the GFX mods the USDM 5v line read 4.75 and post mod it read 4.6v, we all know that USDM is not noted for its accuracy but it's good enough for consistancy.

BTW a belated Happy Birthday!!!

[Holst]

I use a CWT 320 as my main test PSU at work, this should be a testement to there quality and reliability.

As for Q-Tech there rubbish, absolute and utter pap, dont buy one there just cheap generic PSU painted gold with two fans. As allan says they will break down.

[Not Slim]

And if you are interested I have a one month old Vantec Stealth (Stealth??? I don't think ) 470W Psu going spare after my better half treated me to a 550W Antec True Power.... But in all seriousness I have no-one who can recommend a Q-Tec PSU, all have had problems, inconsistent lines etc

[ichorid]

whoops... just bought q-tec 400W for my new rig...

ill build it this weekend.

if i find any psu related probs, ill pm u about that vantec, slim

[Uncle Bob]

Measuring at the molex connector would be the most accurate method for determining voltage. Anyone who said it had to be a used connector was inviting a chance at a free ride to the pacemaker farm. I've been an accredited electrician for over 25 years (holy sheep dip...half my life!!) and I've never used another method. If you were measuring amps now....that's another story. 4.9 to 5.01 volts is great.

Another part of the story seldom mentioned is the range observed. On a cheap PSU (perhaps one is mentioned here...Q-Tech for instance) the variance or fluctuation of the voltage becomes a problem. You are noting a 4.98 - 5.01v range, which is acceptable. Other PSUs may vary far more and that in itself is a problem. I believe we are allowed a 5% variance which isn't all that much.

[Not Slim]

No worries Ichorid, hope you don't need it and good luck with your build.

[ichorid]

[ichorid]

[Pita^Norf]

Got my CWT-550ADP and its looking V good.

Just to recap, I suspected my 420W PSU was at fault for random reboots and I think my suspicions are founded. I got a new CPU last week and tried OCing it.

Got shut downs at Vcore of 1.85V and above, so did the OVP mod on my 8RDA+ and was still was getting shutdowns even though my 5V lines were a respectable 4.98V at load, (also I should point out that I run quite a few devices in my rig) so I was thinking that my 420 PSU just could'nt supply enough watts to my rig?

Anyways I borrowed a Enermax 550 and all my shut downs problems went away

With the CWT I'm getting a constant 5.00v on my 5v line at load...this compares to the 4.94V at load of the Enermax 550W, so IMO a very good PSU for a reasonable price of £58 (~$80 to our US memebers).

[Lazgoat]

Where did you order it from Pita^Norf?